Should we all be Bloggers...

A simple question, that can yield profound results. When punched into Google, a myriad of answers come to the front.  These all elude to the a simple, YES.

But why? I have a couple thoughts to add to those, with an educator slant. Should all educators, students be bloggers?

Blogging - was coined a term back in 1997, actually it was "Weblog". That apparently was shortened in 1999 to just "Blog".  See more history here. Also, it appears that this very own, Blogger, made blogging common for many people.

Of course with many new tools, blogging in business and education quickly jumped on the bandwagon. Another article, shares 10 reasons employees of a company should be blogging. As I reflected on this article I found many reasons why every educator should be blogging.

1. Blogging helps communicate CHANGE to the world.

What better tool than to have those share out there learning to the world through a blog. Not only do they have a authentic audience, they have a real audience. The fact that their audience is real and authentic will promote more positive content. If the process is scaffolded correctly then blogging can be a means to transforming mindsets.


2. Blogging helps others become emotionally invested

It forces you to make an opinion about a topic or subject and therefore you are now attached to that topic. We are human, and have the ability to change our views and there for a new post can be published that demonstrates that growth. Blogs provide that tool for showing that growth.


3. Blogging is fun

Choose a topic and share your thoughts. Reflect on post of others, or something you heard today and you didn't get to finish your thought. Share a video and comment on it. Add a picture. Share insights into your thoughts on life. Share.


4. Blogging is reflective and there reaches those higher order thinking skills

The process of blogging is higher-ordered thinking. 

The critical thinking category includes this definition: Critical thinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do.  - ASCD Website 

Blogging can be whatever you want it to be. It has potential. Potential means we can choose and create something new, something authentic, something real. When we are creating we are growing. Think of a little seed. It has potential. It can one day be the substance of life. But before it is tasting delicious in our mouths, it must grow. Blogging is part of the growth.

TechChat: Blended Learning

Brad Moser - @bmos

April 2015

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What is blended learning?

Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through delivery of content and instruction via digital and online media with some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace.

wikipedia

Learn more: UCF Blended Learning

Prezi that share some thoughts about Blended Learning

Thoughts from articles: ACSD Blended Learning

1. Have a dream or vision
2. Make a plan
3. Try it out
4. Use technology effectively
5. Have clear expectations
6. Be flexible

Blended Ideas:

Asynchronous learning - blogging, discussion boards, quizzes, lab results

Synchronous learning - labs, group work, direct instruction

Pacing - self paced, group paced, whole class pacing

Tracking - student keep record of standard or completion, badges?

Expectations - How much is completed in class, out of class, online, face to face

Example from Physics Class:

Students will research and apply principles of momentum through selected tasks, then demonstrate understanding in group project.

1. I believe I can allow access to content online and change our class functions by allowing students to complete task at own pace. With selected benchmark checking days.
2. Created a website and built content in Canvas LMS. Assignments would be submitted through Canvas.
3. I attempted the labs on the iPads and submitted through Canvas.
4. Students used the portability of the iPads to collect images of themselves completing the labs and used those images for their student reflective journals and for submitting the assignments.
5. Student were shown the entire unit and what was expected at the beginning. They were given the due dates and what was expected.
6. We could not always get the computer labs for the project iMovie. We had to change when the computer labs were open to complete the video project at the end.

Badges....so worth it

I wanted to share something about badges. Today I received my first couple badges from this online Blended Learning Designer course that I am participating in. Wow...I am loving it so far. I am impressed at the structure of this Blended Learning Designer course offered by BlendKit2015  and it is still only module 1. I am trying to participate fully and I have earned three badges. There are several websites that help track your online badges, this one is called Credly. I would love to follow the structure of badging to recognize completeness in my of PD workshops. Blendkit is using a structure of 6 different topic areas with four different ways to earn a badge within that topic. The areas include info stream contribution, blogging, reading and DYI. So a participant can earn 4 badges in each topic area. If you collect at least one badge from each topic area than you qualify for the course completion badge. 

Below is a screenshot of my Credly homepage. It shows the three designer badges I have earned from my effort earlier this week. I am hoping to complete all 7 badges and earn the overall completion badge. 

To blend or not to blend...

Image from: common:wikipedia.com

I am up late again. My wife and kids have gone to sleep and I am up on my computer, not watching TV, but rather reading. Reading about blended learning and the power in can have on learning. This is something that I am drawn to on a daily basis. 

I have experience as a high school physics teacher. I had the privilege to teach before and after having one to one devices in the hands of my students. I currently work as a tech integration specialist in Belton School District and support our learning in the 21st century in a larger one to one environment. What that means to me is that I know our students can have access to their learning anytime, anywhere. What that also means is are we transforming the learning experience in our schools? 

After reading the chapter one from #BlendKit2015  I became impressed with the notion about quality blended learning courses. For the longest time I felt that we were blending our learning by simply granting access to students to devices, but it is so much more than that. An area that we could spend hours and days on would be course and curriculum design and development. Teachers need to have time to time ask the questions for their courses as mentioned in the chapter:

“What’s the best mix of traditional, live, teacher-led presentation and synchronous or asynchronous, technology-driven methods of teaching?” It is important to determine your role as a teacher in the learning process. Should it be one that is primarily directive or facilitative? Also, decide the importance of interaction amongst the students. These questions may be answered differently depending on the teaching/learning context. In any event, blended learning lends itself to learner-centered, teacher-guided (as opposed to teacher-directed), interactive, and student-collaborative learning."

https://blended.online.ucf.edu/blendkit-course-blendkit-reader-chapter-1/ 

I think as a teacher sometimes we forget to step away from the microscope and see the collection films to ask those guiding questions and re-plan our path. These questions about the purpose of the learning needs to be established before we should just do the same old activity that we had done before. 

After understanding blended learning through this reading I ask myself these questions:

1. How can blended learning should support the learning experience?
2. What strategies should I use in a particular learning experience? 
3. What is the learning experience principal? What learning tools will support that principal?

By asking these questions I believe you will focus more on learning and less on tech tools. The process of learning will include blended components and this will transform your experience. 

Best time to plant a tree...

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best is now."

Well it is finally now and I am going to begin keeping a philosophical, personal, educational, technical, professional and whatever other sparks of innovation hit me on some idle Tuesday.

Tonight it is the inspiration for starting this post.  I recently connected with other EdTech leaders in the #kcedu area. Wow, they are on fire and seem to always motivate me to want to be more engaged and be a better leader.  After joining a powerful professional development day with Excelsior Springs, lead by Michelle Nobel, I had the privilege to connect with these same tweet peeps (tweeps), on a new platform, Voxer. 

Voxer is simple,  think of a walkie talkie, that records and collects your talks. Then think, a walkie talkie that can broadcast to multiple people. Then add the ability to text and send pictures. Then you have Voxer. 

At first I was reluctant that I would find it beneficial to carry on short conversations with anyone. But I am having some of the deepest philosophical and enriching conversations with my tweeps around educational topics like, personalized learning and one to one. I love that I can hear the voice of my colleagues, and hear their authentic tone and meaning. It is more than a tweet, its a connection. 

So, when is the best time to start Voxer or Twitter or a blog post....now.